2020 Subaru Ascent
HEADROOM, F/M/R 40.1/38.7/36.3 in
LEGROOM, F/M/R 42.2/38.6/31.7 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R 61.1/60.3/57.2 in
CARGO VOLUME BEHIND
F/M/R86.0/47.0/17.6 cu ftCURB WEIGHT; DIST, F/R 4,594 lb; 54/46%
GROUND CLEARANCE 8.7 in
APPROACH/DEPART ANGLE 17.6/21.8 deg
TURNING CIRCLE 38.0 ft
TOWING CAPACITY 5,000 lbMAY 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 43LAYOUT, SUBARU ASCENT
64.4”71.^6
”76.0”64.2” 113.8”
196.8”COVER STORY
control; you can only set a distance alert
for the automatic emergency braking
system. The Pilot received five stars
from NHTSA but fell short from getting
the 2020 Top Safety Pick award from
the IIHS. (The 2020 Pilot was tested and
rewarded with a 2019 Top Safety Pick
award, but it’s disqualified from earning a
2020 Top Safety Pick because it didn’t get
a Good rating in the passenger-side small
overlap crash test, a new requirement for
this year.) Honda Sensing continues to beone of the best safety suites, and it’s stan-
dard on the Pilot. Lane keep assist kept
the Pilot centered in its lane, and adaptive
cruise control was easy to engage.
The Telluride’s lane keeping assist had
trouble reading some of the lanes during
the freeway portion of our drive, and we
criticized its adaptive cruise control for
having difficulties in stop-and-go traffic—
something that new vehicles should
perform flawlessly.
The CX-9 and Ascent joined the
Hyundai and Kia in receiving the IIHS’
second highest honors, but we preferred
the Subaru’s smart cruise control, which
detected distant vehicles slowing down
earlier than other systems.Value There are many ways to
look at value. Some SUVs have low
starting sticker prices, which can give
an impression of a smart purchase, but
when you step up from the base trim
and start adding options, you can find
huge gaps in how much they’ll lightenyour pocketbook relative to comparably
equipped competitors.
The Explorer XLT starts at a tempting
$37,770, but our model came with almost
$10,000 in options, bumping its price
to $47,715—yet the amount of cheap,
black plastic on its grille, profile, mirror
caps, and throughout its interior had
us wandering if this was the work truck
version. For that price, you’re better
off with the Hyundai Palisade or Kia
Telluride, which drive better, have moreThe Ascent’s top screen shows what safety
features are actively working.